Iran’s vice president for management and development, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht has said 95% of the Iranian population have signed up to a cash handout programme, dealing a blow to the government efforts to spend the money elsewhere. AFP has reported. Of the country’s 77 million people, only 2.4 million people, or 3%, opted to waive the $14 monthly payments, which aim to provide help in paying energy and utility bills as well as basic food costs, said Nobakht. He did not account for the remaining 1.6 million people, but said the dropouts would free up $360m per month for infrastructure, manufacturing and public transport investment.